Shattered Dreams
by SoraMaiDay
Summary: It's been ten years, and Dayna has all grown up, Noelle's world has been destroyed, and Mai is still doodling away in Castle Oblivion. However, the darkness is rising, and it's time for the new story to begin. Dayna, the shy outsider, joins Sora on his odyssey to find his friends and to save the worlds. Maybe, just maybe, she'll make a couple of friends along the way. *SH Sequel*
1. Prologue

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. I do own Dayna, Noelle/Elleon, and Mai._**

**_Woo! Shattered Dreams! Who's excited?_**

**_*silence*_**

**_Yeah, I figured. Here's the prologue, anyways. Also, if you haven't read the first book, Shattered Hearts, then I strongly recommend you do. Otherwise, you may be rather lost and confused. _**

**_Mai will not be a main character in this book (how could she be, really?). Instead, it will mainly focus on Noelle/Elleon and Dayna. Sorry to disappoint my nonexistent readers._**

**_Okay, without further ado, here it is._**

**_Prologue:_**

Something was wrong.

Noelle's eyes narrowed at the heart-shaped moon that had appeared over Radiant Garden that night. That thing, though beautiful, was out of place. She mentally added it on to the list of strange happenings, right next to the dark creatures that had appeared in their world a year earlier. According to the apprentices who studied at the castle, these beings were called Heartless. Whether or not they actually lacked hearts, Noelle didn't know; nor did she care. At least, she tried her best not to.

Up until that moment, she had managed to avoid the dark beings for the most part; key words being, 'for the most part'. She had found, after being forced into an encounter with an armored Heartless, that her wooden staff had been able to hit the beings. However, no damage could be inflicted, no matter how many times she smacked the enemies. As a result, she kind-of gave up on the whole idea. Instead, at the sight of them, she would dive rather ungracefully into the alleyways while Lea would attempt to put up an air of false bravado with his dual frisbees. In the end, he would always join her as they both cowered, ironically, in the shadows cast by the trash bins.

_Speaking of Lea, _Noelle glanced up to the castle; _he should have been back an hour ago, with or without Isa. _

Her insides clenched as her mind warred with itself. On one hand, moving anywhere at this time of night almost guaranteed an ambush with the Heartless. While they hadn't done anything too damaging yet (they had only given out a few shallow scratches to the civilians), Noelle knew that they were waiting for something; a cue of some sort.

On the other hand, her two best friends were up there. "If I can even consider Isa as my best friend anymore." She scoffed, scuffing the ground with her feet.

A strand of hair fell out of the tight French braid on the side of her head and Noelle jerked it back into place. Isa really hadn't been acting too friendly of late. Ever since Mai and Ventus had visited two years ago, the blue-haired boy had been spending more and more time in solitude. Of course, with Noelle and Lea being the mischievous duo they were, they had followed him a couple of days ago. To their surprise, Isa had made his way up to the castle. The guards, Dilan and Aeleus, had let him through without comment.

At that, their jaws had dropped. Lea and Noelle had only been trying to get behind the gates for, oh, maybe eight years. And Isa? He had entered with ease, even nodding at the guards, as if it were a common occurrence.

And, maybe it was. At that point, Lea had decided to confront him. Noelle had been able to convince him to wait for a few days to see if he changed his mind (because her friend _was_ rather prone to making sudden decisions), but he ultimately chose to venture up there.

"He picked tonight, of all nights, to go." Noelle heaved a sigh before pulling her trusty staff out of its sheathe. Despite the fact that it was useless against the shadows, it still gave her a small sense of comfort. "Well, I hope he knows what he's gotten me into."

She snickered at the thought. _Of course, he does. He always loves to piss me off. _

Then, she began the long trek to the castle postern. For a few minutes, there were no signs of the Heartless, and Noelle allowed herself to loosen the iron grip she had on her weapon. Nevertheless, the universe loved to prove her wrong, and a shadow appeared directly in front of her.

"Gah!" Her arm automatically lashed out at the thing and it was knocked to the side, where another Heartless emerged from the ground. The first one tilted its head almost curiously, causing Noelle to mirror its movement, albeit cautiously. Why hadn't it made any move to attack her? All the other similar adversaries had lunged for her without a second thought.

The creature moved closer, and then leaped at her chest suddenly. Noelle whacked it away again, glaring at it evenly, before deciding that it wasn't worth her time. "Go terrorize someone else, why don't you?"

Strangely, it seemed to listen to her, and she soon discovered why. An elderly woman was shambling along the cobblestone street with a bag of groceries in each hand, seemingly oblivious as to what was going on around her. A merry tune hummed from her lips even as her boot got caught in a crack. She fell to the floor with a cry of shock, and apples spilled out of her bag. They rolled down the hill, glowing green in the night.

The Heartless wasted no time. The two beings darted over and Noelle watched in horror as one jabbed a hand into the woman's chest. A garbled sob came from the grandmother's lips as her eyes stared unwittingly at the pulsing pink object that the Heartless held in its claws.

Noelle threw up a little in her mouth as realization struck her.

Those despicable creatures had taken the woman's _heart. _

But, that wasn't all. The woman's eyes glazed over, and her body became eclipsed in darkness. Within seconds, it disappeared and the two Heartless turned to look at her, their eyes shining eerily in the light of the heart-shaped moon.

"S-stay away from me!" Noelle pointed her staff, hands shaking, at each enemy in turn. When they made no further move to act, she stepped back once, twice, and then turned and sprinted away.

She had to find Lea; pronto.

The castle gates loomed ahead of her, wide open and unguarded. "Well, _that _can't be good." Noelle panted, easily pushing past what had previously been the biggest obstacle to her and Lea entering the castle in the past.

Nevertheless, after actually entering the building, she took it back. Before her lay a labyrinth of tunnels, with no variance in color or shape. She slowed to a stop, twisting her head this-way-and-that with desperation clouding her thoughts. "Lea! Where are you?"

A desperate cry echoed around the walls, causing Noelle to perk up in hope. "Noelle! Go away! It's –"

His voice came to an abrupt stop.

"Lea?" Noelle called out hesitantly again. Nothing but the sound of her heart thrumming in her chest. "Lea?"

She threw away any reasoning she may have had before and dashed wildly down the hall ahead of her. The darkness tugged at her sight, weighing her down. Her chest heaved up and down as she turned past corners, again and again. In her mind, she noted that something had gone terribly wrong, and why, oh why couldn't Lea have just waited for her to come with him to see Isa?

"You would've only had to wait ten minutes, you impatient freak!" Noelle sobbed, still frantically trying to invoke the voice of her friend. "Damnit, Lea!"

Finally, the tunnel began to lighten up with the blue glare of a computer screen. It flickered periodically, casting her into darkness every now and then, and as she quickly approached, she saw that a large crack had been inflicted upon the screen. An orange Frisbee lay to the side of it, causing a sense of dread to rise in Noelle. Lea would _never _let one of his prized weapons be anywhere other than in his hands. So, that led to the question, what had happened to him?

She soon found her answer in the form of a manically grinning figure that held a bloody keyblade in his hand. Flecks of red stained his silver hair and insanity lurked in his golden eyes.

"Thank you for volunteering." A deep voice boomed from the man in front of her.

Noelle, thoroughly freaked out, thrust her staff forward. "What did you do to Lea and Isa?"

Xehanort chuckled scornfully, drawing himself aside. He waved a hand at the unrecognizable blobs of darkness behind him and a sense of cold horror swarmed her body. Out of one of the tendrils of shadow peaked a single spike of flaming red hair.

"Lea –" She choked out, one hand automatically reaching for him. "No…"

In her trauma, the staff rolled out of her grip, and Xehanort took the opportunity to stab the keyblade at her heart. His eyes glittered malevolently at the expression of fright that spread across her face.

However, Xehanort's own triumphant mood took a turn for the worse when he saw that his weapon stopped an inch above her chest. "How…?" He jabbed it further, eyebrows creasing in frustration. No movement. He drew it back again, and then pushed it forward once more with the same result.

"Why isn't it working?" Noelle asked dumbly. Xehanort's arm held her up, trapping her between a rock and a hard place. There was really no escaping.

"Shut up." The apprentice declared coldly. He withdrew the weapon with a silent interest, but chose not to dwell on it. He had things to do.

Noelle bit her lip as the weapon moved away from her heart. Still, she had no time to feel relief before the butt of the keyblade was brought down on her skull.

She took it back. There _was _a way to escape.

Unconsciousness was her escape, and it was unconsciousness that protected her from seeing her world fall into darkness.

A day later, she woke up in an alleyway lit only by an orange lamp.

But, she didn't care. Not when everything she cared about had been taken from her.

Not when she didn't age for the following eight years.

Not when the loneliness became her only companion throughout the years.

Not when a keyblade appeared in her hand as she almost died at the Heartless' claws.

Only when a girl wearing a scarf belonging to her close friend appeared in her adopted world was when her heart began to feel again.

And she hated it.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Yay, prologue! I promise that the rest of the chapters will be longer!<em>**

**_Review? Please?_**

**_Thanks!_**

**_- SoraMaiDay_**


	2. Chapter 1: The Invasion Begins

**_Disclaimer: Do I really have to do these every time? You all already know that I don't own Kingdom Hearts… _**

**_Miss Anne Onimus asked why I changed Noelle's name to Elleon (which, obviously doesn't have an 'x' in it). The answer to that is because she never became a Nobody. Something else in her heart prevented it from happening. _**

**_Also, I don't know if you guys understand how happy your reviews make me. Literally, when they pop up in my inbox, I squeal. Yes, out loud. It's still amazing to me that people are actually reading this, so thank you. I appreciate it, I really do._**

**_Finally, this is NOT a Sora/OC fanfic. At all. Just if you were wondering._**

**_Well, here, the real story begins. Enjoy._**

**_Chapter 1:_**

"It's been ten years, Aqua, and we haven't found a way out." The boy rolled his eyes. "You know how much I _hate_ being separated from you, but perhaps it's time to split up." The second fragment was heavy with sarcasm. Vanitas hadn't changed much since the days of Master Xehanort. In fact, his sarcasm and anger management levels had increased and decreased accordingly. However, he and Aqua had managed to form an uneasy alliance for the sake of companionship. Neither of them liked being alone for long periods of time, though Vanitas was loathe to admit it. Sad as it was, Aqua was his only option for company in the Realm of Darkness, and he had to take what he could get. But, no longer.

"Why do you care?" The bluenette shot back, her own frustration clouding her tone. "You _are _darkness. This is where you belong."

The boy looked over at the dark waves that were lapping the shore scornfully. "_This _isn't where I belong." He scoffed. "My place is in Ven's body, but that little blondie just _had_ to mess that up for me."

"Don't talk about him like that!" Aqua hissed, summoning Stormfell, before realizing that she wouldn't gain anything from fighting him in his element. Reluctantly, she banished the weapon with a sigh. "But, maybe you have a point." She certainly _would _be glad to get a break from the pest. He knew the best ways to get under her skin, and after ten years of constantly being with him, Aqua was at her limit.

"Of course I do." Vanitas rose to his feet. The two had been resting on the beach with the moon shining over them. _It was ironic; _He brushed the sand off his skirt, _that the only speck of light in this place was the moon, which only comes out at nightfall in the first place._ A bitter chuckle came out from the boy.

Aqua gazed up at him, her gaze pleading "If you find a way out, please don't go after Ven or Mai." _Not that you would be able to find them, _She added wryly in her mind.

Vanitas' eyes narrowed in response. "No promises."

"Revenge only brings death." The bluenette's tone cracked, remembering how Terra had killed Master Eraqus out of anger at his attacking of Ventus. Now, Terra had lost control of his body and his soul was a slave to the darkness.

"Maybe that's what I want." The boy began walking away, not particularly caring where he would end up. He couldn't really be any more lost than he already was. "They _are_ the ones who ruined my chance at power."

"Power isn't important." Aqua quietly said. But, by then he was out of hearing range. She sighed heavily and let herself fall back into the sand. Staring up at the never-ending darkness, she wondered how Mai was doing after spending a decade alone. A pang of worry hit her, but she shook it off.

If Aqua had spent the past ten years alone with Vanitas, of all people, in the Realm of Darkness, than Mai should definitely be okay with a comatose Ventus.

Then, loneliness struck Aqua for the first time in forever **(cue Frozen singing)**, because for the first time in ten years, she was alone once more.

A fiery determination gripped her as she mentally pushed the melancholy feelings away. She would _not _become a despondent sod, giving up all hope. _No, _Aqua pushed off the sand, _I'm going to find a way out of here. _

She took out her Wayfinder and a small smile crept up her cheeks.

"Right. Tell me where to go."

* * *

><p>Dayna wasn't sure why she kept returning to the play island; it wasn't like she had any friends there, after all. <em>Besides, <em>she told herself, _a girl who you met ten years ago doesn't count. _Her hand touched the scarf that had been around her neck since then. _Even if she did leave me one of her most prized possessions. _

Her green eyes peered over at her adopted sister a few yards away who was giggling like a stereotypical teenage girl with her two guy friends watching her adoringly. _Kairi doesn't count either. It's not like she ever includes you or anything. _

The brunette girl immediately scolded herself for thinking such mean thoughts. Kairi was a perfect little sister. _It's not her fault that I'm a loser, _Dayna thought bitterly.

Throwing herself back on the sand, the girl closed her eyes and a wave of exhaustion hit her all at once. It wasn't particularly surprising to her. She _had _stayed up all last night drawing in the sketchpad that her father, the Mayor, had gotten for her as a birthday present.

Needless to say, she didn't have a party, only a meal with her father and Kairi. The redhead had left early, though, with mumbled excuses of having to be somewhere. Dayna knew that she was building a raft with her two best buds (_Sora and Riku?) _but she couldn't understand why for. There weren't any other landforms near the two that made up Destiny Islands, but Dayna kept her confused musings to herself. She had to play the role of ignorance in order to keep the sisterly relationship strong between herself and Kairi. Otherwise, her inquiries would only serve to increase the gap between them, even though the relationship was already pretty strained. She was pretty sure that Kairi disliked having such an antisocial adopted sister, but there wasn't anything she could really do about it.

With a sigh, Dayna yawned and curled up on her side. The palm tree fronds above her created a shaded, cool environment and the sand beneath her was powdery and soft. Soon enough, her thoughts had all but disappeared and she found herself drifting off into sleep.

Well, at least she had _thought _she had fallen asleep, but her surroundings said something entirely different. It was almost as if she had been transported to another world; an opulent one, judging by the gorgeous stained glass platform beneath her feet.

"This is too weird." Dayna noticed a flash of red against gold and her eyes widened in recognition. She stepped back a few feet to see the mosaic in its entirety, making sure that she didn't accidentally walk off the platform.

It was exactly what, or, should she say _whom,_ she had thought it would be. "Mai…" But, why was she depicted here, in this strange place? Heck, why was Dayna even here in the first place? Surely someone had sent her to this location, and with that thought in her mind, she spoke up.

"Um… Can I please go back home now? To Destiny Islands?" She prayed that her captor was friendly. "It'll be getting dark soon…"

Almost as if her last words were a trigger, a voice sounded in her head.

_So much to do, so little time…_

"I know that voice." Dayna tilted her head. "Mai?"

_Shut up, I'm trying to follow a script here: I'm a day late as it is. _The voice lashed out. _May I continue?_

The brunette girl cringed, abandoning all thoughts of going home. "Yes, go ahead."

The voice, which Dayna now knew belonged to Mai, continued on after clearing its throat. _Power sleeps within you. If you give it form, it will give you strength. Choose well. _

Three pedestals rose from the ground, each displaying a different object. On one was a sword, on the other was a staff, and the third had a shield.

Once again, Dayna hesitated. All of the weapons insinuated violence, which, in turn, meant battle and fighting. She had never been one to spar, mostly because she never had anyone to spar _with. _"Can I pick something else? Like a pencil?"

_No! _The voice groaned. _Dayna, can't you just work with me here?_

The girl hid a smile at Mai's obvious irritation, but said nothing more.

_Fine, I'll choose for you. _

Both the staff and the shield remained in front of her, while the sword disappeared. Once again, Dayna felt a grin on her countenance. Mai read her well.

_I'm in your heart, dummy. Of course, I can tell what you're feeling. _She paused. _Also, watch out._

"Watch out for what?" Dayna asked confusedly. Seconds after she uttered the words, the platform beneath her disappeared and she found herself falling into darkness. However, the drop was short-lived and her body landed gently on the next platform that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

_There will be times when you have to fight. _Mai pretended as if nothing had happened. _Keep your light burning strong. God, this is so cliché. _

The staff she had seen earlier magically materialized in her hand. "What the –"

And then, black creatures arose from the ground, causing Dayna to cling to the staff with both hands in panic.

"How do you expect me to fight these things when I've never even held a weapon before?" She quickly dodged one of the monsters, and then rolled out of the way of another.

_You're doing pretty well so far. _Mai said wryly. _Hurry up, though. I need to move on to the next part of my lines. _

Dayna fought the urge to look incredulously at the ceiling in favor of bonking a shadow on the head with her weapon. To her surprise, the being disappeared. "That was shockingly easy."

_That's because this is only a simulation. _Mai yawned boredly. _When you see them in real life, it'll take a lot more than one hit to strike them down. _

"Oh." She squeaked, whacking another one. "I see."

She shook off the feeling of dread that had come from Mai's words and focused on jabbing the staff at the creatures. When the last one finally disappeared, she took in a deep breath in an effort to calm her rapidly beating heart.

_Nice job, Dayna. Now, I really can't be bothered with the rest of the script, so just continue up this pathway here. _

"Um, okay." The girl brushed her bangs out of her face and attempted to tuck them behind her ear. When that failed, she let them be and instead trod nervously up the ramp. A small voice at the back of her head noted the beautiful art beneath her feet, but the greater part of her mind was wondering what the hell she was doing in this weird place, fighting strange creatures and listening to an old friend's voice in her supposed heart. The world was a peculiar place.

_Can't you move any faster? _

"No, I can't!" Dayna snapped back, instantly surprised at her own irritated response. A pang of guilt hit her, and she immediately apologized. "Sorry."

By that time, she had reached the next platform, where a light was shining a few feet ahead of her. Cautiously, she approached the radiance.

_The closer you get to the light, the greater your shadow becomes, blah blah blah. Sorry about this, Dayna. You might want to turn around._

Said girl gulped, peeking over her shoulder. To her displeasure, there was an enormous dark being towering above her. As if on cue, a smirk split the shadow's face.

"Oh, joy." The brunette slowly backed up as the giant stepped forward, and the staff in her hand was slippery with sweat. "The small guys are one thing, but this giant? Uh-uh."

Unbeknownst to her was the fact that she was at the edge of the platform. She swiped once meekly at the hand that was reaching towards her, but with one more backwards step, she fell off into darkness with a screech of shock. The last thing she heard before blinking back into consciousness were a few of Mai's irritated words.

_Well, at least I tried. She's on her own, now._

* * *

><p>"Gah!" Dayna spluttered, jolting bolt upright, her chest heaving. Her hands grasped wildly around her, only ceasing when she felt warm sand beneath her fingertips. "It was just a dream."<p>

She pulled her knees into her body, resting her chin on them. It was a strangely realistic dream, though, albeit terrifying. And Mai… How had she been in her heart?

Dayna looked down at her right hand, remembering how Mai had had a strange weapon in it so many years ago. What was it called? A keyblade? She vaguely remembered one of her teachers mentioning it in passing during one of her classes. Perhaps that was how the blonde had managed to get into her mind. They _were _rather mysterious weapons with strange powers. She was lucky that she had even been able to hold Mai's.

She remembered the feeling of the warm metal and the intricacy of its delicate swirls. Closing her eyes, Dayna imagined the weapon and its wielder in her head. It was odd; she could almost feel the keyblade in her hand. Memories didn't usually invoke something so, well, corporeal.

Opening her eyes, which she hadn't realized she had closed, a gasp escaped from her mouth. There, in her hand, was a keyblade, and it wasn't the same as Mai's. There were similar swirls, but the handle itself was made of white pebbles, which looked as if they had come from the shores of Destiny Islands. The gradient faded from a pale purple, to a reddish-orange, to a creamy light orange, and then to white at the tip of the weapon. It was almost like a sunset, when the light met the darkness in a clash of brilliant color.

_Dreams Equinox. _

"Mai?" Dayna's head shot up at the sound of the girl's voice. But, there was no response. Puzzled, she returned her attention to the weapon in her hand. "What does this mean?"

A voice threw her out of her reverie. "Dayna! We've got to go now!"

Dayna started. "Okay, coming!" She frantically tried to banish Dreams Equinox, heaving a sigh of relief as it complied. However, it left behind a keychain of a crystal heart, which she quickly pocketed; it would make a nice pendant.

She scrambled over to where her redheaded sister stood, her foot tapping impatiently. To her surprise, Kairi's two friends were still standing at the dock. They usually left before she got to the dock, presumably on some hare-brained thought of racing back to the main island, or something. Her eyes narrowed curiously; what had changed?

"Kairi, don't forget to come at 7 AM sharp." Riku stated, his aquamarine eyes flicking over to Dayna momentarily before moving on to his spiky-haired friend. "You too, Sora. Knowing you, you'd probably sleep in until noon."

"Hey!" Sora protested half-heartedly before the three friends burst into laughter. The cheesiness of the moment almost made Dayna throw up.

_God, maybe it's good that I don't have any friends. _And with that thought, she decided it was time to intercede.

"Well, Kairi and I need to go home now, so we'll see you later." Dayna blurted out, mentally cursing her awkwardness in social situations. "I mean, she'll see you later, because, um, yeah."

"O-kay…" Sora cocked an eyebrow but said nothing more. Dayna nodded her flustered head, grabbed Kairi's hand, and practically leaped into the boat.

"Um, Dayna?" Kairi tapped her shoulder amusedly. "This is Riku's boat."

Her face blushed the shade of a tomato. "Oh."

The two girls carefully stepped over into their own ship and Dayna hastily pushed away from the dock. She had had enough embarrassment for one day, thank you very much.

"Bye Kairi!" The two boys shouted. Only Sora was nice enough to add a goodbye to Dayna as an afterthought.

For a while, there was nothing but the sound of the paddles slapping the ocean as the sisters worked to make their way back to shore. Dayna was still reflecting over the strange events of the day, and Kairi was thinking excitedly about her adventure that would be starting the next morning. Neither of them knew that the night would bring about the end of their world.

Literally.

Their evening went along as usual. Kairi set the table, their father prepared the meal, and Dayna did the dishes. Bedtime was at 9, and all was quiet in the house. Of course, Dayna stayed up later, as per usual, making a necklace out of her new keychain. With a cry of triumph, she slammed the pliers down on the table. She had managed to twist the wire around the chain and had attached it to a longer chain so that the necklace barely peaked out from underneath her scarf. It had only taken her two hours, but weariness still pulled at her limbs and a yawn erupted from her mouth.

"Time for sleep." She muttered, stumbling off the chair. Of course, with her being her clumsy self, she knocked the chair over onto the floor. Cursing, Dayna picked it back up but paused after putting it upright. The window in front of her displayed a scene that was extremely abnormal on Destiny Islands: there was a storm brewing, and it did _not _look pleasant. In fact, the sky was pitch black with accents of red and purple swirling around in a spherical pattern. Lightning periodically struck the ground, and Dayna winced as she saw it hit the ocean.

"Thank god, I'm not out there." The girl brought her hands up to close the window, but a sudden movement outside caused her to freeze. There was a familiar figure dragging a boat down to the shore.

"Kairi!" Dayna shouted, wondering what reason Kairi could possibly have for venturing out in a storm like this. "Come back here, it's not safe!"

The redhead showed no sign that she had heard her. "Dangit."

Dayna hurriedly grabbed her scarf and swept the door shut on her way out. Behind her, the lights flickered and a pair of glowing yellow eyes blinked emotionlessly. Seconds after, another shadow popped into the room.

The invasion had begun.

* * *

><p><strong><em>God, I just love ending on dramatic notes. I really need to stop with those. <em>**

**_What do you guys think about Dayna? She's a bit insecure, but she has a hidden sassy side (as you may or may not have been able to tell). She just doesn't show it that often because she's shy around basically everybody._**

**_Check out a pencil drawing I did of Dayna at my deviantart xXxDovexXx :)_**

**_Well, toodles._**

**_- SoraMaiDay_**


	3. Chapter 2: A Duck and a Dog

**_Disclaimer: Me no own KH. Yup._**

**_Just a small clarification; Dayna is Riku's age. If you want an outfit description, PM me. _**

**_Chapter 2:_**

The sand crunched beneath her feet as she sprinted to the shore, but it was too late. Kairi had left the island, and the wind was too loud to yell at her to come back. No other boats were in sight, meaning that her sister's other two idiot friends had left for the play island as well.

"Imbeciles." Dayna hissed, running a hand through her damp bangs. Her heart pounded in her chest as she paced back and forth, trying to find a way to get over to the play island. She could swim, but (she winced as lightning struck the ocean again) that was obviously not an option unless she wanted to get electrocuted.

"That's it; there's no way." She threw her hands up despairingly. Almost as if to contradict her words, Dreams Equinox appeared in her hand. She stared at it, puzzled, but with hope trickling into her being. "Mai, is this a sign?"

Her only response was a sharp stinging sensation in her leg, and she whirled around to face the thing that had injured her. Dayna's mouth dropped open: it was the creature from her dream, and a swarm of them was heading her way. With no other choice, she readied herself to fight.

And fight she did. Dayna blindly swung her weapon out around her, feeling a small burst of satisfaction every time she managed to hit one of the things. Despite the fact that she didn't condone violence, those shadows were asking for it, and it didn't seem as if they were human, or humane, in any way.

Unlike in her dream, it took more than one blow to make them disappear. Instead, it took more like five, and she found her muscles burning after a couple minutes of battle. _God, I suck. _

Finally, she defeated all of the creatures around her, only to see more of them scuttling over to her house. That could only mean one thing.

"Dad!" Dayna dashed back towards her home, adrenaline making her feet move faster than usual. Who knew what those things would do?

She knocked away a couple of shadows that were in the doorway and hurried down the hallway to her father's bedroom. Slamming the door open, Dayna scanned the room for her dad's rather chunky figure, but saw nothing but crumpled sheets and an open window. Panic swallowed her, but she forced herself to calm down.

"He's probably just checking on the other citizens." She told herself, not believing her words for a minute. However, she didn't have much time to reflect on it as her house let out a huge shudder. Dayna grabbed the edge of her father's dresser to steady herself, instantly drawing it back when she felt a warm liquid beneath her hand. To her relief, it was only a cup of tea that had spilled over.

Another shudder rocked the house, followed by a dreadful crackling sound, and right before her eyes, the house began to break in two. There was no way out, and Dayna helplessly held on to the dresser as her section of the house got pulled into the maelstrom.

"What kind of a storm is this?" She screeched, risking a look back down at the ground and then instantly wishing she hadn't. The house was suspended in the air, almost as if it were in the eye of the storm.

For a second, all was eerily silent, and then the house shattered and Dayna found herself hurtling down towards a piece of land that was a few feet below where she had been. Luckily, the soft sand cushioned her impact, but unluckily, the gigantic monster from her dream was back and leering at her almost gleefully. It moved a hand slowly towards her, but drew it back when a key hit its wrist.

"Sora? What are you _doing _here?" Dayna shouted, feeling abnormally confident in her words. Any other time, it would have been a feat if she managed to say anything cohesive. She gave herself a mental pat on the back, before realizing that she was an idiot for thinking of something so trivial at the time. _Focus, Dayna._

"Just hold tight! I'll protect you!" Sora shot back, dodging a black and purple orb that had been aimed at him. Dayna, despite feeling touched at his actions, also felt a strong surge of indignation. Dreams Equinox materialized in her hand and she lunged forward to bat away an orb that Sora hadn't seen coming.

"I've got your back." The girl nodded in his direction, and Sora stared incredulously at the weapon in her hand.

"I thought I was the only one." The spiky haired boy slammed his Kingdom Key down on the shadow's head energetically.

_Obviously not. _Dayna thought snarkily, not confident enough to say it out loud. As it turned out, there wouldn't have been much time left to say anything else, anyways. A particularly strong gust of wind knocked Dayna off her feet and into the sky. Sora managed to grab onto a piece of driftwood sticking out of the sand and desperately reached out for her hand. Time seemed to slow down for a second as their fingers touched, but Dayna's hand was still slippery from the damned tea spillage on the dresser, and she lost her grip.

A sob wrenched through her throat as the tiny speck of color from the sandbar grew further and further away. The wind around her began to swirl around more and more as her panic escalated, and Dayna found it increasingly harder to breathe. She couldn't tell if it was just her, but it seemed as if the edges of her vision were darkening, and black spots appeared randomly around her sight. Squinting, the girl tried to distinguish the shape of one of the black spots, only to widen her eyes as she realized that one of the objects closest to her was a large piece of asphalt. With no time to dodge it, Dayna was struck in the head and was instantly knocked out.

At the loss of her consciousness, Dreams Equinox emitted a glow that grew until it surrounded Dayna completely. It would ensure that she landed safely in the world for those who had lost their homes, just like she had done.

Next stop, Traverse Town.

* * *

><p>The feeling of cold water pounding down on Dayna's head brought her spluttering back into awareness. She confusedly splashed her hands around her as she realized that she was, in fact, in a fountain.<p>

"What?" The girl reached out for the ledge in front of her, pushing herself up to her feet. Hurriedly, she got out of the pool of water, wringing out her wet side-ponytail. She shivered, teeth chattering, as she tried to get a hold on her location. It appeared that she was in a courtyard of some sort. Behind her was a white mansion and above her were several businesses; a gizmo shop, several fashion boutiques, and a hotel. The sky was dark and sprinkled with a few stars, but there was no moon.

"Eerie…" Dayna muttered, squeezing water out from her scarf as well. The rest of her clothes would just have to air dry. "Wonder where I am…"

It wasn't Destiny Islands; that was for sure: her home didn't have any courtyards built in this style, nor did it have any clothed animals that walked around on two legs. She watched suspiciously as a duck and a dog noticed her, taking note of the fact of how they were jabbing in her direction with their hands excitedly. For all she knew, those two could be allies with those other creatures that had invaded her island.

As they started padding over to Dayna, she panicked mindlessly and scrambled away down a nearby corridor. A series of obnoxious squawks to, "Wait!" and to "Halt!" followed her hasty escape. At the sound of the desperate quality in their tones, Dayna hesitated, and that was enough to allow them to catch up with her. She shot a glance behind her, realizing that it wouldn't have done much good if she had continued to run away anyways; the corridor ended with a locked door.

"Stop!" The duck quacked, not noticing that she had, in fact, stopped moving. The dog, on the other hand, let a goofy smile spread across his countenance and slowed down his pace.

"A-hyuck! I think she's stopped runnin', Donald."

Donald spluttered back to the dog. "I-I knew that, you big palooka!"

"Well, uh, okay."

"Hmph."

Evidently, the duck was rather bossy, and Dayna shifted her feet as she waited for him to remember the reason why he had pursued her down the alley in the first place. She didn't have to wait long.

"So, what's your name?" Donald softened his features slightly as he noticed her rather bedraggled appearance; she looked like she had just gone through hell and back.

"Dayna." The brunette mumbled shyly, not used to talking with strangers. She had known most of the people back on Destiny Islands; perks of being the Mayor's daughter, she supposed.

"Well, I'm Goofy." The dog stuck a hand at her cheerily. "Nice to meetcha."

Dayna reached her hand out and shook his gloved appendage lightly. A smile spread across her face at the delighted expression that Goofy sported as their hands made contact.

"And I'm Donald Duck!" The other companion announced, grabbing the girl's hand and shaking it up and down vigorously. She smiled awkwardly before withdrawing her hand from his iron grip.

"Are you guys from around here?" Dayna asked tentatively. "Wherever here is, I mean."

"No, a-hyuck! We're from Dis –"

Donald clapped a hand over Goofy's mouth. "Uh, what he meant to say is that we aren't, er –"

"From this world?" Dayna offered, her fingers playing with the crystal heart charm that hung around her neck. "Neither am I."

"Yeah!" The duck exclaimed, punching the air excitedly. He visibly deflated seconds later as he realized that he had given away the secret he had been trying to hide. "Aw, phooey."

"What world are you from, Day-a-nah?" Goofy inquired, his mouth struggling with the new name.

"Destiny Islands…" She replied. Part of her felt relieved that she wasn't the only stranger who was lost in this new realm, but the other part felt an increased sensation of hopelessness. How many other people had lost their homes to those monsters?

Almost as if she had summoned them by thought, a shadow clad in armor appeared behind Donald. Her eyes widened, and before she knew it, she was batting the enemy away with Dreams Equinox. It crashed into the wall and rapidly disappeared with the force of the blow. _Huh, I guess I've gotten a bit stronger. _

"A key!" The two animals chorused in amazement with a blushing Dayna hastily banishing her weapon.

"Yeah, it came to me yesterday."

"One down, one to go!" Donald exclaimed. "I wonder where the other one could be…"

Goofy tapped the duck's shoulder. "Uh, Donald? Don't you think we should ask Day-a-nah if she wants to come with us first?"

"Come with you where?" She peeped up, tilting her head. "Back home?"

"To see the worlds and to fight the Heartless!" Goofy proclaimed. "Along with the other keybearer. We've got to protect the world border!"

"_Order_." Donald corrected with a huff. Neither of the two had the heart to tell Dayna that her world had been destroyed by the darkness. "Do you wanna come with us?"

The girl bit her lip. If she went with, then maybe she could find Kairi and her father. If she stayed, well, then there wouldn't be much benefit to that. "I guess I might as well."

A beam lit up Goofy's face and he picked up the girl in a hug. "Yahoo!"

Dayna awkwardly patted his back before resigning herself to his embrace. Eventually, he set her back down, and she gave out a mumbled sound of gratitude.

"Did you say _other _keybearer?" Dayna asked suddenly, remembering how Sora had also had one of the special weapons. "I think I know your guy."

Donald and Goofy exchanged an interested glance, and then the duck spoke up. "He must have landed here, then. We'll have to keep an eye out for him and Leon."

"Leon?"

"He's an expert on the worlds. The king told us to find him in his letter, a-hyuck." Goofy nodded as if to affirm his own statement. "We've searched the First District, and we were just lookin' through the Second when we found you in that there fountain."

The brunette girl blushed red, muttering something incomprehensible under her breath: she tended to do that a lot. "I suppose we should keep exploring, then."

"Right." Donald gestured behind him at the courtyard. "Be careful; there are a lot of Heartless here. Stay on your guard." He turned to walk away, but Dayna was intrigued by something he had said.

"Sorry, but what are the Heartless?" A thought hit her. "Are they those dark things?"

"Yup!" Goofy waved a hand at her to continue moving out of the alley. "When a person gives into the darkness in their heart, they become a Heartless. They're always trying to take other people's hearts."

Scurrying up between the two boys, Dayna let out a soft, "Oh," at the new information. "And what does it mean when a lot of them come into your world?"

Goofy gulped, wishing that he didn't have to tell the innocent girl about her worlds destruction. "It means that your worlds keyhole has been found. If the Heartless take over the keyhole, then the world is lost."

"Forever?" Dayna stopped walking, causing the other two to halt as well. "But what about all the people? What happens to them?"

"We don't know." Donald's voice quivered and he stared at the ground, not wanting to see their new friend's face crumble. "The ones with strong hearts are brought to Traverse Town." The insinuated meaning behind his words was left unsaid, but Dayna understood it to mean that those with weaker hearts gave in to the darkness. _But what determines the strength of a heart? _A pang of concern hit her. _Did Dad have a strong heart? Or Kairi?_

"Heartless incoming!" Goofy brought his shield up to defend Dayna, who had been lost in thought. She blinked in surprise, feeling a strong surge of gratitude at his protection.

"Thanks, Goofy."

The dog winked cheerily at her in return. "Let's get movin', a-hyuck!"

"Yeah."

The three bashed through the enemies with Dayna appreciating how much easier it was to fight in a group as opposed to fighting on her lonesome. Nevertheless, either way her muscles were still aching from being used.

A flash of orange light to her left caused her jaw to drop in wonder. Had Donald just made fire come out of his staff? "Wow." A pang of awe hit her; maybe he could teach her some magic too. Despite the situation, she found herself getting excited at the prospect. It _had _been her childhood dream to be a sorcerer, after all.

"Head towards the hotel!" Donald shouted, swinging his staff out at a Soldier Heartless. Dayna nodded, hightailing it out of there with Goofy on her heels.

They slammed the double doors open and quickly tumbled inside. With a squawk, Donald pushed the doors closed just as a Heartless stuck its head through the crack. Dayna winced as its neck got severed and as it faded into a dark mist. _That's gotta hurt. _

Almost in unison, the three companions let out a sigh of relief. "There hadn't been that many Heartless in the First District." Donald admitted, sagging against the wall. "I think we're safe now."

Nevertheless, the universe loved to prove him wrong. A pretty girl, who had walked out of a nearby room at the sound of the commotion, tapped him on the shoulder, and he jumped almost a foot in the air. Goofy snickered, while Dayna looked away shyly at a painting on the wall.

"Excuse me. Did the king send you?"

Donald and Goofy exchanged glances and nodded. The new girl smiled in return. "Please, follow me, then."

She walked a little further down the hallway until she reached a bright red door, at which point the four entered. The girl sat down daintily on the single bed in the room, and Dayna sat down cautiously beside her. Screw awkwardness; her legs were on fire.

"My name is Aerith." She said softly. "And what are yours?"

"I'm Donald, this is Goofy, and this is Dayna." The duck jabbed a finger at each of them as he said their names. "What did you need to tell us, Aerith?"

Aerith's hands moved to lie on her thighs. "Okay, you know there are many other worlds out there besides your castle and this town, right?"

Goofy nodded, shooting a fleeting look at Dayna, while Donald gave an affirmation out loud.

"But they're supposed to be a secret." Goofy covered his mouth almost instantly, as if ashamed of his words.

"They've been secret because they've never been connected… Until now."

At this, Dayna dared to speak up. "Why now?"

Aerith twisted to face the girl next to her. "When the Heartless came, everything changed. You know what the Heartless are, correct?"

Once again, all three companions nodded.

"No one really knows why or how they came to be, but there is a man named Ansem who wrote up his findings about them in detailed reports." Aerith leaned forward curiously. "Have you heard of him?"

"Ansem?" Goofy rubbed his chin. "Gawrsh, nope. Can we see the reports?"

She shook her head sadly. "Its pages are scattered everywhere. Too many worlds."

"Oh, then maybe the king went to find 'em." The dog offered.

"Yes, those were my thoughts exactly."

Goofy's eyes widened comically. "We've gotta find him, quick!"

Dayna opened her mouth to intervene, but Donald beat her to it. "Wait! First we've got to find the other key!"

"The Heartless have a great fear of the keyblade." Aerith commented. "They'll keep coming after it and its wielder, no matter what."

_Well, crap. _"Do you know why _I _have the keyblade?" Dayna asked quietly, summoning Dreams Equinox to her hand. Despite the fact that she had formulated an idea as to how she had gotten it, she still wanted a certain answer. The other girl's expression clouded over as she inspected the swirled design.

"I don't know…"

The keyblade wielder resisted the urge to slump. "Is there a way that it can be passed down from someone? Like an inheritance?"

"There are legends." Aerith said thoughtfully, tearing her gaze away from Dreams Equinox. "And maybe that's how El got hers. She never had one before…" Her voice drifted off, but no one seemed to notice.

"Who's El?" Donald squawked. "Is she another keyblade wielder? Why didn't the king tell us about _her?_"

Dayna banished her keyblade. "Maybe it's because he didn't know of her."

Donald quickly turned a glare in her direction. "The king knows of everything that happens in the worlds! There's no doubt about it!"

Dayna quivered under his harsh eyes and looked down at her feet. Aerith, sensing the tension, hastily changed the subject.

"How about I go introduce you to Leon and Yuffie?"

The two Disney residents perked up and followed Aerith over to the door. The other girl cautiously followed, still feeling sensitive from Donald's rebuke. He soon got his karma, however, as the door slammed open and squished him into the wall.

"Ooh, ouch." Dayna giggled under her breath despite herself. However, the sight that followed made the laughter catch in her throat.

The Heartless had found their hideout.

It was time to leave, pronto.

* * *

><p><strong><em>I love cliffhangers. Of course, you all know what happens next, but still. Noelle makes her first actual appearance next chapter, so you have that to look forward to :D Yay. <em>**

**_Thoughts? I'm still getting used to writing Dayna's character. It's difficult switching from sassy Mai to shy Dayna, but I'm working on it. _**

**_Hope you all enjoyed, and Merry Christmas!_**

**_- SoraMaiDay_**


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